U.S. patent application number 10/797213 was filed with the patent office on 2005-09-15 for system and method for capacity management.
Invention is credited to Chao, Jen-Lin, Hsu, Chen-Wei, Huang, Wei-Chuan.
Application Number | 20050203788 10/797213 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34919995 |
Filed Date | 2005-09-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050203788 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chao, Jen-Lin ; et
al. |
September 15, 2005 |
System and method for capacity management
Abstract
A system and method for capacity management. The system includes
at least an order management module and a pull-in engine. The order
management module receives at least a first order having a period
delivery demand directing a supplier to deliver products
corresponding to the order before the end of the period. The
pull-in engine pushes out the first order, and directs capacity
reserved for the first order to meet a second order with a pull-in
demand or if a production event occurs.
Inventors: |
Chao, Jen-Lin; (Hsinchu
City, TW) ; Hsu, Chen-Wei; (Hsinchu City, TW)
; Huang, Wei-Chuan; (Hsinchu City, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
THOMAS, KAYDEN, HOSTEMEYER & RISLEY LLP
100 GALLERIA PARKWAY
SUITE 1750
ATLANTA
GA
30339
US
|
Family ID: |
34919995 |
Appl. No.: |
10/797213 |
Filed: |
March 10, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/7.12 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/06 20130101;
G06Q 10/0631 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/008 |
International
Class: |
G06F 017/60 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A system for capacity management, comprising: an order
management module to receive at least a first order having a period
delivery demand directing a supplier to deliver products
corresponding to the order before the end of the period; and a
pull-in engine to receive a second order with a pull-in demand,
push out the first order, and direct capacity reserved for the
first order to meet the second order.
2. The system of claim 1 further comprising an allocation module to
allocate additional capacity for the first order.
3. The system of claim 2 further comprising a planning module to
generate a new manufacturing planning schedule and delivery dates
for the first order and second order.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein the first order further has a
billing condition directing the supplier to generate a bill for the
first order as late as possible.
5. A method for capacity management, comprising the steps of:
receiving at least a first order having a period delivery demand,
in which the period delivery demand directs a supplier to deliver
products corresponding to the order before the end of the period;
receiving a second order with a pull-in demand; and pushing out the
first order, and directing capacity reserved for the first order to
meet the second order.
6. The method of claim 5 further comprising allocating additional
capacity for the first order.
7. The method of claim 6 further comprising generating a new
manufacturing planning schedule and delivery dates for the first
order and second order.
8. The method of claim 5 wherein the first order further has a
billing condition directing the supplier to generate a bill for the
first order as late as possible.
9. A system for capacity management, comprising: an order
management module to receive at least a first order having a period
delivery demand, in which the period delivery demand directs a
supplier to deliver products corresponding to the order before the
end of the period; and a pull-in engine to push out the first
order, and direct capacity reserved for the first order to meet
other orders if a production event occurs.
10. The system of claim 9 further comprising an allocation module
to allocate additional capacity for the first order.
11. The system of claim 10 further comprising a planning module to
generate a new manufacturing planning schedule and a delivery date
for the first order.
12. The system of claim 9 wherein the first order further has a
billing condition directing the supplier to generate a bill for the
first order as late as possible.
13. A method for capacity management, comprising the steps of:
receiving at least a first order having a period delivery demand,
in which the period delivery demand directs a supplier to deliver
products corresponding to the order before the end of the period;
and pushing out the first order, and directing capacity reserved
for the first order to meet another order if a production event
occurs.
14. The method of claim 13 further comprising allocating another
capacity for the first order.
15. The method of claim 14 further comprising generating a new
manufacturing planning schedule and a delivery date for the first
order.
16. The method of claim 13 wherein the first order further has a
billing condition directing the supplier to generate a bill for the
first order as late as possible.
17. A method for capacity management, comprising the steps of:
separating orders based on respective corresponding delivery
demand, thus identifying orders of a first type, in which orders of
the first type direct a supplier to deliver products before the end
of a period; and selecting at least one of the orders of the first
type to be pushed out if another order with a pull-in demand is
received or a production event occurs.
18. The method of claim 17 further comprising allocating additional
capacity for the pushed out order.
19. The method of claim 18 further comprising generating a new
manufacturing planning schedule and a delivery date for the pushed
out order.
20. The method of claim 13 further comprising separating the orders
based on a respective corresponding billing condition directing the
supplier to generate a bill for the first order as late as
possible.
21. A machine-readable storage medium storing a computer program
which when executed causes a computer to perform a capacity
management method, the method comprising the steps of: receiving at
least a first order having a period delivery demand, in which the
period delivery demand directs a supplier to deliver products
corresponding to the order before the end of the period; receiving
a second order with a pull-in demand; and pushing out the first
order, and directing capacity reserved for the first order to meet
the second order.
22. The storage medium of claim 21 wherein the method further
comprises a step of allocating additional capacity for the first
order.
23. The storage medium of claim 22 wherein the method further
comprises a step of generating a new manufacturing planning
schedule and delivery dates for the first order and second
order.
24. The storage medium of claim 21 wherein the first order further
has a billing condition directing the supplier to generate a bill
for the first order as late as possible.
25. A machine-readable storage medium storing a computer program
which when executed causes a computer to perform a capacity
management method, the method comprising the steps of: receiving at
least a first order having a period delivery demand, in which the
period delivery demand directs a supplier to deliver products
corresponding to the order before the end of the period; and
pushing out the first order, and directing capacity reserved for
the first order to meet other order if a production event
occurs.
26. The storage medium of claim 25 wherein the method further
comprises a step of allocating additional capacity for the first
order.
27. The storage medium of claim 26 wherein the method further
comprises a step of generating a new manufacturing planning
schedule and a delivery date for the first order.
28. The storage medium of claim 25 wherein the first order further
has a billing condition directing the supplier to generate a bill
for the first order as late as possible.
29. A machine-readable storage medium storing a computer program
which when executed causes a computer to perform a capacity
management method, the method comprising the steps of: separating
orders based on respective corresponding delivery demands, thus
identifying orders of a first type, in which the orders of the
first type indicate a supplier to deliver products before the end
of a period; and selecting at least one of the orders of the first
type to be pushed out if another order with a pull-in demand is
received or a production event occurs.
30. The storage medium of claim 29 wherein the method further
comprises a step of allocating additional capacity for the pushed
out order.
31. The storage medium of claim 30 wherein the method further
comprises a step of generating a new manufacturing planning
schedule and a delivery date for the pushed out order.
32. The storage medium of claim 29 wherein the method further
comprises a step of separating the orders based on a respective
corresponding billing condition directing the supplier to generate
a bill for the first order as late as possible.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present invention relates to capacity management and
particularly to a system and method for capacity management that
manages orders according to respective client delivery demands.
[0002] In the supply of products, the supply chain performs the
functions of material purchasing, transformation of materials into
intermediate and finished products, and distribution of finished
products to clients. Supply chain management has become important
in meeting the goals of reduced inventory, increased productivity,
and enhanced competitiveness. Manufacturing and distribution
facilities have limited resources and capacity, hence, not every
client request may be met, in that some may be promised but
unfulfilled, some may receive inadequate supply, and others may be
rejected. Consequently, effective management of capacity in supply
chain management, without excess capacity loss, has become an
important aspect for a product supplier who needs to control
manufacture or distribution.
[0003] In the supply chain, clients transmit demands that may
include a request for a particular quantity of a device design to a
supplier by a specific date. The supplier plans its internal or
external manufacturing schedule according to these received
demands, and allocates capacity for manufacturing products to
satisfy each client. After receiving orders corresponding to
demands from clients, the supplier starts to manufacture the
products.
[0004] In some specific situations, the clients may request a
pull-in demand that asks the supplier to manufacture corresponding
products as soon as possible. However, in the conventional capacity
management model, all of the demands and orders are equally handled
and the products are delivered based on a corresponding
manufacturing planning schedule. If one order must be pulled-in,
the manufacturing schedule and the allocated capacity for each
client will be impacted. If the capacity of the supplier is full,
orders of other clients may be pushed out unwillingly, thereby
increasing client complaints. Additionally, the conventional
capacity management model cannot maintain the quality of product
delivery when difficulties occur in the production line.
SUMMARY
[0005] The present invention is proposed to address the
aforementioned issues. It is noted that the present invention is
applicable to any factory, service supplier and product.
[0006] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
provide a system and method for capacity management according to
respective client delivery demands.
[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides
a system and method for capacity management. According to one
embodiment of the invention, the system includes at least an order
management module and a pull-in engine. The order management module
receives at least a first order having a period delivery demand
directing a supplier to deliver products corresponding to the order
before the end of the period. The pull-in engine pushes out the
first order, and directs capacity reserved for the first order to
meet a second order with a pull-in demand or if a production event
occurs.
[0008] The system further includes an allocation module to allocate
capacity for the pushed out order. The system further includes a
planning module to generate a new manufacturing planning schedule
and delivery dates for the first order and second order.
Additionally, the first order further has a billing condition
directing the supplier to generate a bill for the first order as
late as possible.
[0009] According to another embodiment of the invention, the method
for capacity management is provided. First, orders are identified
based on respective corresponding delivery demand and/or billing
conditions, thus identifying orders of a first type, in which the
orders of the first type direct a supplier to deliver products
before the end of a period. Then, at least one of the first type
order is selected to be pushed out if another order with a pull-in
demand is received or a production event occurs.
[0010] Further, additional capacity is allocated for the pushed out
order, and a new manufacturing planning schedule and a delivery
date for the pushed out order are generated.
[0011] The above-mentioned method may take the form of program code
embodied in a tangible media. When the program code is loaded into
and executed by a machine, the machine becomes an apparatus for
practicing the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The aforementioned objects, features and advantages of this
invention will become apparent by referring to the following
detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to
the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the system
architecture of the capacity management system according to an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the process of order
identification according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the process of the capacity
management for handling pull-in demand according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the process of the capacity
management for handling production difficulties according to an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and
[0017] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a storage medium
for storing a computer program for execution of the capacity
management method according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention.
DESCRIPTION
[0018] The present invention provides a system and method
overcoming conventional capacity management problems.
[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates the architecture of the capacity
management system 100 according to an embodiment of the present
invention. The capacity management system 100 includes an order
management module 110, a pull-in engine 120, an allocation module
130 and a planning module 140.
[0020] The order management module 110 receives orders from
clients, and identifies received orders into type A and type B
based on corresponding delivery demands and billing conditions.
Table 1 shows the scenario of type A and type B orders. Type A
orders have a delivery demand directing the supplier to deliver
corresponding products on schedule or as soon as possible, and a
billing condition directing the supplier to generate bills for its
order as soon as possible.
1 TABLE 1 Delivery demand Billing Condition Type A On schedule/ASAP
ASAP Type B Delivery before the ALAP end of the period
[0021] Type B orders have a delivery demand directing the supplier
to deliver corresponding products before the end of a period, such
as a manufacturing cycle, called period delivery demand, and a
billing condition directing the supplier to generate bills for its
order as late as possible. The order management module 110
identifies the type of order based on respective corresponding
delivery demands and billing conditions. It is understood that the
type A orders should be fulfilled with higher priority and type B
orders may push out candidates when pull-in demands are received or
a production difficulty arises, such as equipment malfunction, for
example.
[0022] The pull-in engine 120 receives pull-in demands from
clients, selects at least one of the candidates for push out, and
directs the capacity reserved for the pushed out order to meet the
order with pull-in demand. Additionally, when a production event
occurs, the manufacturing planning schedule must be re-planned, and
the pull-in engine 120 also selects a portion of the type B orders
for push out, such that the released capacity can be used for
orders with higher priority, thereby reducing impact on the
manufacturing schedule.
[0023] The allocation module 130 allocates capacity for respective
orders, and allocates another capacity in another manufacturing
cycle for the pushed out order. The planning module 140 generates
the manufacturing planning schedule for the received orders and the
delivery dates for respective orders. Additionally, the planning
module 140 further generates a new manufacturing planning schedule
and new delivery dates for the pulled-in order and the pushed out
order. After the pull-in operation, a production line (not shown)
starts to manufacture the products to fulfill the orders of the
current manufacturing cycle. When the products are manufactured, a
delivery unit (not shown) delivers the products to corresponding
clients, and a billing module (not shown) generates and transmits
bills for respective orders to corresponding clients.
[0024] FIG. 2 shows the process of order identification according
to an embodiment of the present invention. In step S201, it is
determined whether orders have been received. If not, the flow
returns to step S201. If yes, in step S202, the order management
module 110 identifies the received order according to its delivery
demand and billing condition, thus identifying the type of the
order, and identifying the orders into type A and type B orders. It
is understood that the capacity management system 100 may provide
an interface for clients to transmit the order, and input the
delivery demand and billing condition information of the order.
[0025] FIG. 3 shows the process of the capacity management method
for handling pull-in demand according to an embodiment of the
present invention.
[0026] In step S301, the pull-in engine 120 checks whether any
order with pull-in demand has been received. If not, the process is
complete. If an order with pull-in demand has been received (Yes in
step S301), in step S302, the pull-in engine 120 selects at least
one of the type B orders, and pushes it out. In step S303, the
pull-in engine 120 directs the capacity reserved for the pushed out
order to meet the order with pull-in demand. Thereafter, in step
S304, the allocation module 130 allocates capacity in another
manufacturing cycle for the pushed out order, and in step S305, the
planning module 140 generates a new manufacturing planning schedule
for the remaining orders and new delivery dates for the pulled-in
order and the pushed out order.
[0027] FIG. 4 shows the process of the capacity management method
for handling production difficulties according to an embodiment of
the present invention.
[0028] In step S401, it is determined whether or not any production
difficulties have occurred. If not, the process is complete. If a
production event occurs (Yes in step S401), in step S402, the
pull-in engine 120 selects at least one of the type B orders, and
pushes it out. It is noted that type A and type B orders are
identified in advance. In step S403, the allocation module 130
allocates capacity in another manufacturing cycle for the pushed
out order, and in step S404, the planning module 140 generates a
new manufacturing planning schedule and new delivery dates for the
orders.
[0029] FIG. 5 is a diagram of a storage medium for storing a
computer program providing the capacity management method according
to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The computer
program product comprises a storage medium 510 having computer
readable program code embodied in the medium for use in a computer
system 500, the computer readable program code comprises at least
computer readable program code 511 receiving orders, computer
readable program code 512 separating the orders based on respective
delivery demand and billing condition, thus identifying the order
type, in which type B orders have the period delivery demand and
the ALAP billing condition, computer readable program code 513
checking whether any order with a pull-in demand has been received
or a production event has occurred, computer readable program code
514 pushing out the type B order if an order with the pull-in
demand has been received or the production event has occurred, and
directing capacity reserved for the pushed out order to meet the
order with pull-in demand, and computer readable program code 515
allocating capacity in another manufacturing cycle for the pushed
out order, and generating a new manufacturing planning schedule and
new delivery dates for the orders.
[0030] The present invention provides a capacity management
mechanism dealing with problem of pull-in orders and production
events more efficiently than in the prior art, thereby reducing
client complaints, maintaining and improving the delivery and
planning quality for each client, for example.
[0031] The exemplary embodiments of the methods and systems of the
present invention, or certain aspects or portions thereof, may take
the form of program code (i.e., executable instructions) embodied
in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMS, hard drives,
or any other machine-readable storage medium, wherein, when the
program code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a
computer, the machine thereby becomes an apparatus for practicing
the invention. The methods and systems of the present invention may
also be embodied in the form of program code transmitted over some
transmission medium, such as electrical wiring or cabling, through
fiber optics, or via any other form of transmission, wherein, when
the program code is received and loaded into and executed by a
machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for
practicing the invention. When implemented on a general-purpose
processor, the program code combines with the processor to provide
a unique apparatus that operates analogously to application
specific logic circuits.
[0032] Although the present invention has been described in its
exemplary embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention to
the precise embodiments disclosed herein. Those skilled in this
technology can still make various alterations and modifications
without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention.
Therefore, the scope of the present invention shall be defined and
protected by the following claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *